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GRASSLAND COMMUNITY FRACTIONS FROM CENTRAL NORTH AMERICA UNDER SIMULATED CLIMATES
Author(s) -
McMillan Calvin
Publication year - 1965
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1965.tb06764.x
Subject(s) - panicum virgatum , biology , grassland , andropogon , panicum , bouteloua gracilis , botany , poaceae , ecology , agronomy , bioenergy , renewable energy
For a broad latitudinal comparison, 6 growth chambers with temperature and light‐period controls were programmed to simulate 20 weeks of the growing periods for Devils Lake, North Dakota; Lincoln, Nebraska; Austin, Texas; Corpus Christi, Texas; Mexico City, D.F.; and Flagstaff, Arizona. Clonal populations of Panicum virgatum L., the Andropogon gerardi Vitman– halli Hack. complex, A. scoparius Michx., Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash, Bouteloua gracilis (H.B.K.) Lag., and B. curtipendula (Michx.) Torr. composed the experimental community fractions. The short growing periods of the northern and high‐altitudinal climates accommodated flowering within 5 populations of the North Dakota and Arizona community fractions. In the other climates, the growing periods, variously incomplete during the 20‐week programming, also accommodated flowering of many of the early‐maturing populations. Annual endogenous rhythms within the geographic variants were suggested by the different response patterning. The northern clones responded rapidly and showed sensitivity to diverse environmental conditions. Many southern clones, requiring more than 20 weeks for flowering, showed developmental homeostasis under the different climates.